Can You Succeed At Exercising As You Age?

I’m pretty sure there was a time when the gym was almost exclusively occupied by young people trying to get into better shape or improve their health. Let’s face it though, the vast majority of the time health isn’t actually the main concern for the younger crowd. As you continue exercising as you age, your goals will likely change.

I won’t lie, I thought of the health side of working out as a side benefit as I tried to put up big lifts and build more muscle. While this even holds true now after hitting the gym regularly for the past 30 years, I can see the health side of it more. This is especially true when I see people around my age who don’t work out. I’m definitely thankful I’m not in the shape many of them are. As you get older, you should see how the health side should be just as important.

 

Everybody’s Doing It

Now I see plenty of middle age and older people working out regularly with weights. I’m sure in many cases it’s due to them growing up with it through the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. Before this time period weight lifting was seen as a curiosity and was not mainstream. I would have to assume this is why you don’t see many older people in gym footage from decades past.

Weight training is so common these days that you can find a gym just about anywhere. You can also get the best home gym equipment to train without leaving your house.

 

Making Changes As You Age

I have made many changes to my weight training routine over the years. Once upon a time, I used to love going super heavy, maxing out quite often. Going for a one-rep max on the bench press or squat once every week or two was the norm. There’s nothing wrong with testing your strength, especially when you’re younger.

Stop Maxing Out As Often

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve stopped trying for one-rep maxing out. I still like to go heavy, but for as low as 5 reps, and that will only be for a set or two. It’s more important to me now to really feel the muscles working and stay true to form instead of pushing or pulling as much weight as possible. If you want to test your max every now and then, no biggie. Of course, there are powerlifting meets for people of any age so train accordingly if you are competing in one.

Do More Cardio

Another change I’ve made over the past few years is to do more cardio. Of course, cardio is used by many lifters to burn more calories, though you don’t want to overdo it and lose muscle either. Cardio is also short for cardiovascular for a reason. Doing this type of exercise is great for your heart and lungs, and consequently circulation as well. How many people have circulatory issues as they get older? Plenty more than if they all followed the right exercise and diet program, that’s for sure.

Exercising As You Age: Keys To Success

Most of us just aren’t able to do what we were able to in decades past. Little aches and pains can add up over time. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to make exercising as you age a successful endeavor. Here are some keys to success as you continue working out.

 

Consistency In Exercising As You Age

Consistency is always key to getting positive results from exercise. While doing something is better than nothing, you can’t exercise once in a while and expect lasting results. I see this happen way too often. People will be good and exercise regularly for a few weeks or a month or two, and then lose interest for a variety of reasons. However, the excuses are never enough to actually not keep at it. It takes real dedication to get real results.

Stop Lollygagging

How many people do you know who always talk about getting back into the gym? I’ve known plenty. It’s just something you have to do, many times without procrastinating and thinking too much about it. Make it become part of your lifestyle, just like going to work or school. Even I can lollygag too long before hitting the gym, but I always get there or do some sort of workout if I’m not lifting that day.

Try To Exercise At Least A Few Times A Week

If you can do some type of activity 3 or 4 times a week, it will do wonders for your health, especially if you haven’t exercised regularly in the past. Even a couple of exercise sessions per week is better than nothing. That being said, if you’re getting on in age you should check with a doctor before you start an exercise regimen. If you’ve been working out for many years, just keep going. There’s really no good reason to stop if you are healthy enough to keep doing it. I see it as a lifelong healthy habit.

Make It A Good Habit

And that’s the key: to make exercising a habit. Not all habits have to be bad, after all. Once you see results, you will likely feel disappointed if you miss a day. This is a good thing. It means you are motivated to keep it going and reach your goals. Once you do reach a goal, create a new one. You can also try different workouts to keep from boredom. There’s really no end to what you can do to make exercising part of your lifestyle.

 

Use Proper Form

Using proper exercise form at any age is essential. Unfortunately, some lifters get away with the questionable form for a while. Don’t get me wrong, a little controlled cheating can help you get more reps on certain exercises like biceps curls. However, lying on a bench and contorting your body into an unnatural position for a heavier max bench isn’t the best idea. You are trying to actually build real strength and size, after all.

Many times very poor form causes you to not actually target the muscle you are trying to train. There also comes the day when this poor form catches up in the form of an injury. Unfortunately, it gets harder to recover from injuries as you age.

Leave Your Ego At The Door

While you no doubt want to be able to lift as heavy as possible, it’s not worth it if you aren’t building real strength. This is going to mean that you have to leave your ego at the door and use a more strict form. You should find that eventually, you can use weights with good form that you would have had to cheat to lift previously. You also will decrease the possibility that you get injured.

Do Full Reps

I feel that this goes hand in hand with using proper form. It’s another thing I see a lot though – people doing partial reps. This usually comes in the form of somebody not lowering the barbell all the way to the chest on the bench press or not even coming close to a full squat. Of course, it is possible to have an injury that prevents full reps for certain exercises. However, this is keeping you from working the muscles as efficiently as you could. Always try to get full repetitions.

 

Lighten The Weights

When I was younger, I swear I tried to go for a one-rep max on bench press every time I trained my chest. It was the same case for the squat and quite often the deadlift as well. I got up some heavy weights though, especially for somebody who’s stayed natty for life. However, lifting very heavy will place plenty of stress on the joints, even if done with impeccable form. If the form isn’t great, it could be very bad to continually go super heavy.

You Want To Avoid Injury

The issue for many lifters is that they want to be able to lift what they could in their 20s. I’ve seen guys that still try to use huge weights even as they are aging. Unfortunately, this can catch up to you in the form of an injury. Don’t get me wrong, there are Masters powerlifting competitions for those over 40. Even at this elite level, the lifters aren’t putting up the weights they used to. You can still train hard without going too heavy.

Really Feel The Muscles You Are Training

Being in my 40s and having a lower body weight than I used to has definitely led me to lighten the weights I use. I still go to failure and even beyond but with more reps. These days, I go for great exercise form as opposed to trying to lift as much as possible. The great pumps I get are worth it, and I like to keep my rest periods shorter for more intensity.

 

Avoid Overtraining

It can be easy to overdo it when exercising. This is even more of a factor as you get older and injuries will be more debilitating. You also need to avoid overtraining if you want to continue lifting into middle age. Of course, you shouldn’t overdo it at any age, but you may be able to handle longer workouts when you are younger.

Allow For More Recovery Time For Each Muscle Group

As you age, you must be sure to get more rest and not do quite as many sets as you once did per workout. Personally, the biggest difference I’ve made as I’ve gotten older is to have more days between the training of each muscle group – hitting them once every 6 or 7 days as opposed to the 4 to 5 days I used to do. I’ve noticed that I respond so much better with the proper amount of time between training each muscle group.

 

Get Plenty Of Rest and Sleep Between Workouts

This goes hand in hand with avoiding overtraining. Rest is always important to get positive results from exercise. You break down the muscles while exercising, then they grow as they heal. After a tough workout, I’ll try to get as much rest as possible before continuing with my day. Since I usually work at night, the time between working out and working is spent relaxing.

Get A Nap In If Possible

A midday nap is usually on the agenda when I get a chance to relax after exercising. Honestly, even a nap that only lasts 20 to 30 minutes will help me feel refreshed if I have to work that night. If I have a day off I try to get longer rest periods if nothing else is going on. Taking time to chill even when you are constantly on the go will help so much with recovery.

Don’t Neglect Proper Sleeping Habits

Getting 8 hours of sleep is also essential for continued results from exercise. In fact, getting enough sleep is needed for optimal overall health. If you don’t get enough sleep it will lead to burnout quickly. As people get older they tend to need less sleep on average. Either way, you have to do what you can to get enough sleep to be ready for another workout and whatever else you do throughout the day.

 

Cardio Exercising As You Age

I won’t lie, I used to do very little cardio. I would focus most of my attention on the weights. This is common for a guy in his 20s, as usually building more muscle is the ultimate goal. It’s not like I didn’t do any at all, with the occasional run after lifting or hitting the heavy bag. However, I should’ve been doing a bit more.

I Do A Lot More Cardio Now

Over the past decade, I’ve gotten much more into cardio. I now make it a priority without overdoing it. It’s worked, as I have way less body fat in my 40s than I did in my 30s and even 20s. A lot of time doesn’t have to be spent on cardio either if you train with some intensity.

Cycling For Cardio

Cycling is surely my favorite form of cardio. I only get outdoors once a week for a nice 12 to 13-mile ride during the summer, though I would eventually like to get out more. After lifting, I usually do 15 to 20 minutes on a stationary bike. Basically, I try to do as much as I can without overdoing it and wearing myself out.

Other Cardio Favorites

There are plenty of forms of cardio besides cycling of course. Many prefer running, which does have an added bone remodeling benefit you don’t get from cycling. Swimming is also very popular for people to do as they get older as it’s a smooth form of exercise. Whatever your favorite is, go with it to stay in shape.

 

Proper Nutrition Is Also Key

It should come as no surprise that eating right as you get older is at least as important as exercise. Who wants to have their doctor tell them they have high cholesterol or blood pressure? Sure, exercise alone can do a lot of good. However, if your diet isn’t on point, you’re not going to be in optimal health.

I Lost Weight When I Changed My Diet

In my case, I always had a little extra around my waistline even though I always hit the weights and did a little cardio. When I finally changed my nutrition habits and stopped consuming so many empty calories, I quickly got into the best shape I’ve been in since I was 17, at age 46 no less.

Avoid Fast Food

A big part of proper nutrition is to stop eating fast food. Believe me, it will make such a huge difference it may surprise you. Fast food is loaded with calories and will keep you from reaching your weight loss goals. Once in a while, it’s okay to indulge, but some people consume this food almost every day. It’s no wonder there’s an obesity problem in this country.

Create A Healthy Habit

Much like exercise, proper nutrition has to become a healthy habit. I’ve found plenty of new favorite foods and almost never feel the urge to eat junk foods or fried foods anymore. It helps to plan ahead and prepare your own meals. It will likely actually save you money too in the long run.

 

Now’s The Time

There’s no reason to procrastinate and keep saying I’ll start my exercise program, diet, or both tomorrow or next week. This becomes its own bad habit and will keep you from even starting your goals much less reaching them. It doesn’t matter what anybody else thinks either. It’s your life and your health. It all comes down to the classic Nike slogan: Just do it!